The Divergent Series: AllegiantReview

The Divergent Series: Allegiant joins a growing list of tween novel adaptations that have been split into two movies, along with Harry Potter, Twilight and The Hunger Games. But given its stagnant plot, one-note characters and cobbled-together universe, this latest entry in the franchise may be the worst candidate yet for doubling up.

In Allegiant, Tris (Shailene Woodley) finally goes beyond the wall surrounding Chicago, where she and her friends discover a high-minded, scientific community that's been watching their every move -- and, surprise, they're as blatantly sinister as the faction-based government from the previous two films. So instead of just taking down one corrupt faction, Tris and her friends must confront the outside world and deal with the scientists trying to control their city.

Of course, bigger doesn't always mean better. If anything, Allegiant is the weakest Divergent movie yet -- and that's saying something. The storyline is aimless at best and frustrating at worst. For one thing, none of the characters ever seem to ask the right questions -- I guess because if they did there would be nothing for them to do. Tris is probably the worst offender of this, as she interacts with Jeff Daniels' obvious bad guy character -- who, by the way, can barely keep a secret from his own people, let alone the main characters and the audience. That's not to mention the relationship drama between Tris and Four (Theo James), which is as eye-rolling as ever.

Meanwhile, the story is abysmal, and also shamefully derivative of the last two movies. For example, the entire plot hinges on yet another mind-control scheme. But that's nothing compared to the film's many convoluted plot points that try to flesh out the world but ultimately flounder in their half-baked presentation. It's almost as if the screenwriters -- or the author; I'm not sure which -- made up the story as they went along.

Side note: Why do Tris and her friends keep letting Miles Teller join their crew when he always, always betrays them in the end? He's been doing that s#!t for two movies -- what makes them think he's going to stop now? Seriously, all these characters are mouth-breathing idiots.

Allegiant is also probably the most CGI-heavy entry in the series, which isn't exactly a good thing. While it definitely broadens the scope of the film and introduces some cool, new tech, it all comes off as plasticky and fake. (Don't get me started on those weird, orange bubble things the characters float around in.) It also doesn't help that the actors seem to be sleepwalking through their performances. Honestly, I just feel sorry for Woodley, whose exhaustion appears to reflect the audience's at this point.

The Divergent Series: Allegiant

After the earth-shattering revelations of INSURGENT, in Allegiant Part 1 Tris (Shailene Woodley) must escape with Four (Theo James) beyond the Wall that encircles Chicago to finally discover the shocking truth of what lies behind it.

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The Verdict

Allegiant is a prime example of everything that's wrong with modern YA sequels. Instead of embracing or building upon its core themes and constructs, it tears them all down with a wrecking ball of CGI and nonsensical storytelling. While the new movie at least tries to replace the old with some new, the execution falls flat and hardly makes any sense at all. Which just goes to show, this is yet another movie that didn't need to be split into two parts.